Good Coffee in River North?

[aburkavage]

I'm sick of drinking SBUX. Is there an establishment near Chicago and State that serves good coffee? Ideally, I'd like a place that roasts its own beans (I'm almost sure this doesn't exist in the neighborhood). In the alternative, I would settle for locally sourced beans (Intelligentsia, Metropolis, etc.) brewed in a French Press or even a pour over. Any thoughts? Thanks!

[JojoSF]

I hope I can get an update on this same question. I'll be staying at the Hampton Inn about a block from Nordstrom and walking over to Merchandise Mart during my visit in November. I won't have the time to go up to Water Tower and West Loop for morning coffee. Is there any hope in my area? My back-up plan is Nordstrom Cafe, which serves drinkable brewed coffee here in San Francisco. (Not great, but drinkable) I refuse to touch Starbucks.

What did you do for your coffee, aburkavage?

[kathryn]

There is apparently a place inside of Merchandise Mart that serves Illy.

If you're going over to Merchandise Mart anyway, you might be able to some Metropolis at Doughnut Vault, if the line isn't too bad. French-pressed coffee for $1. To go, only.

[aburkavage]

+1 on coffee from the Doughnut Vault just a few steps away from Merchandise Mart. Lines can be long, but usually not ridiculous during the week.

NYC Bagel (a block North) brews Intelligentsia. And while it's not coffee, Xoco is open for breakfast and has delicious hot chocolate. They freshly grind the beans creating a truly unique beverage.

[JojoSF]

Thanks Kathryn and Aburkavage!

My husband will like the Xoco visit - he's on a search for the best cocoa to make mochas with. I'm a big fan of French Press. And emergency Illy right inside the MM is going to be a Godsend!

On our last visit to Chicago a few years ago, we liked Meinl, weren't crazy about Intelligentsia and thought Metropolis was decent/ok. If you have more recommendations, we're interested!

We just returned from Portland OR, so I'm primed for a cafe crawl.

[jbontario]

Not to stir up the pot . . . much. How can you just say "weren't crazy about Intelligentsia and thought Metropolis was decent/ok." Both have a rotating and very broad selection of extremely high quality roasts that are made with care in small batches from top notch sources.

I travel over 100 days per year around the country and world and drink more coffee than I care to admit. Both Metropolis and Intelligentsia provide great drinks for me and both of these roasters recieve top marks consistently from reviewers.

Maybe you didn't like the blend you tried that day? I often get the best brew when I explain to the person taking the order what my favorite flavor profile and mouth feel is and then I usually get a cup that I find very good. Sometimes I get something that's not my taste profile, but one cannot argue the quality.

[aburkavage]

I agree with all that! If you go Intelligentsia or Metropolis and don't like their coffee, then I don't know what to recommend.

There may be niche roasters that specialize in particular styles with funky cafes, but no one in the city delivers a higher quality cup than these two roasters.

[sweettoothMTL]

Hello,

Has anything new popped up since last November? I'm also very interested, as I'll be staying in River North for 10 days in October. We'd really like to find a nice place to get coffee in the morning, ideally with some decent to go food as well. But let's start with the coffee!

Thanks in advance!

[kathryn]

Where in River North?

You could go to Do-Rite Ronuts, get a doughnut and some Dark Matter Coffee, and walk back over the river.

[nsxtasy]

From Do-Rite Donuts, you could also walk two blocks east to Intelligentsia.

Or if you want to go upscale, Toni Patisserie is even closer to Intelligentsia.

[Siun]

I'd instead stay in Old Town at the a hotel Lincoln so I could get La Colombe Coffee each day at their lovely little Elaine's coffee shop. Easy hop onto Clark or LaSalle bus to or fromfrom River North.

[nsxtasy]

That's no help at all to someone who has said that they're staying in River North, presumably because it's convenient to the rest of their itinerary.

[aburkavage]

I spent the better part of three years in River North, and I think the best cup of coffee near Chicago and State is at Goddess and Grocer. They use beans from Intelligentsia.

In addition, since I started this thread, Starbucks has come out with its blonde roast - a very respectable cup. I still prefer the coffee at Goddess, but Starbucks are far more convenient, especially in River North.

[nsxtasy]

You'll find these previous discussions helpful:

Great espresso near Water Plaza? - www.chow.com/topics/803183
Best Coffee Shop in Chicago? - www.chow.com/topics/753311
Favorite Cafees / Coffee in Chicago? - www.chow.com/topics/732385

The first of these asked about the same location as yours. As noted there, Intelligentsia, our local roaster, is terrific, but is not close by; their location on Randolph is about 1/2 mile south of Chicago and State. If you want something closer than that, Lavazza (which is not local) has locations a few blocks north and a few blocks south. I've added links to the Intelligentsia and Lavazza locations so you can see them on the map at the right.

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Intelligentsia Coffee
55 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL

Lavazza
162 E Ohio St, Chicago, IL 60611

Espression Lavazza
140 E Walton Pl., Chicago, IL 60611

Espression Lavazza
875 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

[aburkavage]

Thanks, nsxtasy! But I don't think either of those threads include references to coffee shops in River North.

[nsxtasy]

Sorry, I had to take a phone call before I had finished my thoughts, and clicked save too quickly. I've revised my post above, with info on what's close by!

[chicgail]

The two Lavazza locations are near Chicago & State, but the Intelligensia site, while it's less than a mile from Chicago and State, is in an office building all the way on the other side of the Chicago River and east of State. You'd have to want that coffee a lot. And you may. Intelligensia is great coffee. I just thought you should be aware that it is a bit of a trek.

[aburkavage]

I've been to all Intelligentsia locations, and while I'm happy to travel for their coffee, sometimes I just want a quick cup that doesn't suck (I'm looking at you, Mr BUX).

I've been to one Lavazza in the French Market, and, while I enjoyed my latte, I think I had to get a second mortgage on my house to cover the tab!

I began this thread because I had an outstanding cup of coffee from The Doughnut Vault for $1 the other day. I guess I was hoping that someone knew of another hole in the wall brewing proper coffee.

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French Market
131 North Clinton, Chicago, IL 60661

[danimalarkey]

Have you tried Argo Tea? They have precious little information on their in-house coffee blend (which I take to be a bad sign -- though, in some fairness, they are about tea), saying:
Flavor Notes
Our café blend coffee is a classic, robust blend with subtle spicy notes intermingling with hints of milk chocolate and sweet caramel sugar.
Origins
Argo Coffee brings together 100% Arabica coffee beans originating from Ethiopia, East Timor, Sumatra, Colombia and Nicaragua.

It is fair trade/organic/shade grown, too.

Grahamwich (according to their website) serves Metropolis -- though the online menu suggests it's a single size that could serve 4-6 people @ $20.

I think XOCO serves coffee, though I want to say it's not available to go on account of their exclusive use of french presses (and not having cups big enough for their one size). If I'm getting a hot drink from them, I go for a hot chocolate -- I don't think I've ever thought to look at their coffee offerings.

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Argo Tea
819 N Rush St, Chicago, IL 60611